Ashton Kutcher Discusses New Gig on ‘Two and a Half Men’

With one simple presentation, CBS officially said good-bye to the tumultuous days of Charlie Sheen and ushered in the (hopefully) bountiful days of new Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher.

Late last week, after some volleying and speculation, Kutcher was offered the Two and a Half Men role, and now the network is proudly displaying their new acquisition. During the CBS upfront presentation, it was made very clear that the dust had settled in regards to the Charlie Sheen matter (though not legally), and that the network, series creator and producer Chuck Lorre, and series co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones have officially begun the process of moving on.

At CBS’ recent upfront presentation in New York, Kutcher took to the stage to assume the throne of America’s number one sitcom. The actor touched briefly on the media blitz surrounding the announcement of his new role by stating:

“Honestly, I never probably in my 13 years in show business received more emails and phone calls from people congratulating me for this job.”

Kutcher went on to express his gratitude for the role – likely due to the reported $750,000 per episode paycheck he will be receiving.

“You’d almost think I won the lotto or something, which I kinda did. I got the best job in show business and I’m ecstatic about that. When I was very young somebody told me that if you want to be successful in life, surround yourself with the best, work your ass off and you can get there. And I am surrounded by the best and I will work my ass off and I could not be more excited.”

While the word ‘dude’ was never brought up in Kutcher’s address, neither was any mention of the man he is replacing. Although it is clear the powers that be at Two and a Half Men­ (i.e. Chuck Lorre) have certainly cut the cord, it’s a given Sheen’s recently underperforming Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour won’t be the last we will see of the actor. In addition to potential film work, many producers like Doug Ellin (Entourage) have already begun to seek him out for television roles.

Kutcher in ‘Killers’

Though he’s earned less-than-favorable reviews for many of his films like Killers and Valentine’s Day, Kutcher has managed to maintain a fairly positive and profitable appeal in Hollywood – if his massive Twitter following is any indication. Along with his throngs of fellow tweeters, the most important thing Kutcher will bring to his role on Two and a Half Men is less off-camera drama, and a more genuine sense of likeability.

Kutcher’s new co-star, Jon Cryer, all but breathed a sigh of relief when he said, “I brought myself to a place of incredible excitement about our new beginning, which I’m going to refer to as One and Two Half Men.” Whether that likeability will translate into excitement from the fans – and the kind of ratings success Sheen enjoyed – remains to be seen.

The rebooted Two and a Half Men will be back on CBS Monday nights @9pm this fall.